NFL playoffs, 1989-90
Encyclopedia
The NFL playoffs
following the 1989 NFL season
led up to Super Bowl XXIV
.
This was the last season in which the NFL used a 10-team playoff format. The league would expand the playoffs to 12 teams next season.
For this year only, the starting times for the Conference Championship Games were changed from the then-customary 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST to 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST. This was to accommodate the fact that the Denver Broncos
and the San Francisco 49ers
hosted the AFC and NFC championship games in the Mountain Standard Time Zone and Pacific Standard Time Zone, respectively — thus avoiding a locally played game at 9:30 a.m. PST or 10:30 a.m. MST.
Note: As per the rules of the NFL playoffs prior to the 1990 regular season
(notwithstanding the strike-shortened 1982 season
), the San Francisco 49ers (the NFC 1 seed) did not play the Los Angeles Rams (the 5 seed) in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.
in Philadelphia in the opening game of the playoffs. Rams quarterback Jim Everett
threw two touchdown passes in the first half as the Rams allowed only one Eagles touchdown in the fourth quarter. Everett connected on a 39-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Henry Ellard and a 4-yarder to tight end Damone Johnson
. After Philadelphia running back Anthony Toney
scored on a 1-yard rushing touchdown, Los Angeles running back Greg Bell, who rushed for 124 yards, scored on a 7-yard touchdown to clinch the victory.
recovered a fumble to set up Gary Anderson's winning 50-yard field goal in overtime to give Pittsburgh the win. The Steelers scored first with running back Tim Worley's 1-yard rushing touchdown. But from that point on until the fourth quarter, the two teams exchanged 6 field goals. In the final period, Oilers quarterback Warren Moon
, who finished the game with 315 passing yards, threw two touchdowns to wide receiver Ernest Givins
, an 18-yarder and a 9-yarder. However, Pittsburgh running back Merrill Hoge tied the game on a 2-yard rushing touchdown with 46 seconds left in regulation.
Hoge finished the game with 100 rushing yards on just 17 carries, along with 3 receptions for 26 yards.
at the Cleveland 1-yard line with 3 seconds remaining to preserve a 34-30 victory. Kelly threw for 405 yards and 4 touchdowns while Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar
threw for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. Browns receiver Webster Slaughter
had the best postseason performance of his career with 3 receptions for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Buffalo scored first with wide receiver Andre Reed
's 72-yard touchdown reception. But Cleveland struck back with a 45-yard field goal by Matt Bahr
and a 52-yard touchdown pass from Kosar to Slaughter. Kelly's 33-yard touchdown pass to James Lofton
put the Bills back in the lead, 14-10, but Browns retook the lead with Ron Middleton's 3-yard catch shortly before the end of the first half.
On the opening drive of the second half, Kosar hooked up with Slaughter for another touchdown pass, this one 44-yards, to increase their lead to 24–14. Buffalo responded with a 6 yard touchdown catch by running back Thurman Thomas, who tied an NFL playoff record with 13 receptions for 150 yards. But Browns running back Eric Metcalf
returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to give his team a 31–21 lead by the end of the third quarter. After an exchange of field goals, Thomas caught a three yard touchdown pass. But the extra point failed, forcing the Bills to attempt to score a touchdown instead of a field goal on their final drive. With time running out, Kelly led the Bills to Cleveland's 11-yard line. But fullback Ronnie Harmon
dropped a potential game winning catch in the end zone and Kelly was intercepted by Matthews on the next play.
threw for 241 yards and four touchdowns as San Francisco dominated the Vikings. Minnesota scored first on a 38-yard field goal by Rich Karlis
, but then Montana completed 4 unanswered scores: a 72-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerry Rice
, an 8-yarder to tight end Brent Jones
, an 8-yarder to wide receiver John Taylor, and a 13-yarder to Rice. 49ers defensive back Ronnie Lott
returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown, and running back Roger Craig rushed for a 4-yard score. Craig finished the game with 125 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Rice caught 6 passes for 114 yards and 2 scores. One of the few bright spots of the game for Minnesota was tight end Steve Jordan
, who caught 9 passes for 149 yards
with 1:06 gone in overtime. New York jumped to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter with two field goals by kicker Raul Allegre. With 17 seconds left in the first half, Anderson caught a 20-yard touchdown reception from Everett to take a 7-6 lead. In the third quarter, Giants running back Ottis Anderson
scored on a 2-yard touchdown. But in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles kicker Mike Lansford made two field goals to tie the game, the second one coming with 3:01 left in regulation.
Rams receiver Henry Ellard
had the best postseason performance of his career with 8 receptions for 125 yards.
had a superb performance, rushing for 120 yards on 16 carries and catching 8 passes for 60 yards. But this time it wasn't enough to lift his team to victory. Broncos receiver Mark Jackson caught 5 passes for 111 yards.
A 71-yard Broncos drive was capped by Melvin Bratton
's 1-yard touchdown run with 2:27 remaining to win the game. The Steelers jumped to a 10-0 early lead with a 32-yard field goal by Gary Anderson and a 7-yard touchdown by Hoge. Bratton's 1-yard touchdown cut the deficit to 10-7, but Pittsburgh responded with quarterback Bubby Brister
's 9-yard touchdown to wide receiver Louis Lipps. Denver kicker David Treadwell then made a 43-yard field goal before halftime to cut the Steelers' lead, 17-10. In the third quarter, Broncos defensive back Tyrone Braxton recovered a fumble at the Pittsburgh 37-yard line, setting up quarterback John Elway
's 37-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vance Johnson
. Anderson later kicked two field goals to give the Steelers a 23-17 lead before Bratton scored the winning touchdown.
's 70-yard touchdown reception. However, the two teams scored a combined 5 touchdowns in the third period. Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to receiver Brian Brennan, but Elway countered with a 5-yard touchdown to tight end Orson Mobley. Running back Sammy Winder's 7-yard rushing touchdown extended the Broncos lead to 24-7. However, Cleveland scored two touchdowns in a span of 2:11 to cut the lead to 24-21: a 10-yard touchdown reception by Brennan and 2-yard touchdown run by Tim Manoa. But then Denver scored 13 unanswered points in the final period to clinch the victory: Winder's 39-yard touchdown reception and two field goals by Treadwell.
batted down a pass intended for a wide open Flipper Anderson
. Had Anderson made the catch, he would have scored easily, giving the Rams a 10–0 lead. The Lott knockdown inspired the 49ers while deflating the Rams. From this point on, San Francisco dominated and led 21–3 at half. San Francisco quarterback Joe Montana threw 2 touchdown passes in the second period: a 20-yarder to tight end Brent Jones and an 18-yarder to wide receiver John Taylor. Running back Roger Craig recorded a 1-yard rushing touchdown, while kicker Mike Cofer made 3 field goals in the second half. Montana showed much precision and finished the game with 26 of 30 completions for 262 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fullback Tom Rathman
rushed for 63 yards and caught 6 passes for 48.
NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records, and a tie-breaking procedure exists in the...
following the 1989 NFL season
1989 NFL season
The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement...
led up to Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV was an American football game played on January 28, 1990 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1989 regular season...
.
This was the last season in which the NFL used a 10-team playoff format. The league would expand the playoffs to 12 teams next season.
For this year only, the starting times for the Conference Championship Games were changed from the then-customary 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST to 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST. This was to accommodate the fact that the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
hosted the AFC and NFC championship games in the Mountain Standard Time Zone and Pacific Standard Time Zone, respectively — thus avoiding a locally played game at 9:30 a.m. PST or 10:30 a.m. MST.
Note: As per the rules of the NFL playoffs prior to the 1990 regular season
1990 NFL season
The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period...
(notwithstanding the strike-shortened 1982 season
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
), the San Francisco 49ers (the NFC 1 seed) did not play the Los Angeles Rams (the 5 seed) in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.
Bracket
NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Philadelphia Eagles 7
The Los Angeles Rams played the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in Philadelphia in the opening game of the playoffs. Rams quarterback Jim Everett
Jim Everett
James Samuel Everett III is a retired professional American football quarterback who played for twelve seasons in the National Football League ....
threw two touchdown passes in the first half as the Rams allowed only one Eagles touchdown in the fourth quarter. Everett connected on a 39-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Henry Ellard and a 4-yarder to tight end Damone Johnson
Damone Johnson
Damone Johnson is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League. He played seven seasons for the Los Angeles Rams....
. After Philadelphia running back Anthony Toney
Anthony Toney
Anthony Toney is a former professional American football running back for five seasons in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Texas A&M University and was drafted in the second round of the 1986 NFL Draft by the Eagles....
scored on a 1-yard rushing touchdown, Los Angeles running back Greg Bell, who rushed for 124 yards, scored on a 7-yard touchdown to clinch the victory.
AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 26, Houston Oilers 23 (OT)
Steelers defensive back Rod WoodsonRod Woodson
Roderick Kevin "Rod" Woodson is the current cornerbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He is also a former defensive back best known for his 10-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers as well as being a key member of the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl XXXV championship...
recovered a fumble to set up Gary Anderson's winning 50-yard field goal in overtime to give Pittsburgh the win. The Steelers scored first with running back Tim Worley's 1-yard rushing touchdown. But from that point on until the fourth quarter, the two teams exchanged 6 field goals. In the final period, Oilers quarterback Warren Moon
Warren Moon
Harold Warren Moon is a former American professional gridiron football quarterback who played for the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos and the National Football League's Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs...
, who finished the game with 315 passing yards, threw two touchdowns to wide receiver Ernest Givins
Ernest Givins
Ernest Pastell Givins, Jr. , was a former professional American football player who was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 2nd round of the 1986 NFL Draft. A 5'9", 175 lbs. wide receiver from the University of Louisville, Givins played in 10 NFL seasons from 1986-1995...
, an 18-yarder and a 9-yarder. However, Pittsburgh running back Merrill Hoge tied the game on a 2-yard rushing touchdown with 46 seconds left in regulation.
Hoge finished the game with 100 rushing yards on just 17 carries, along with 3 receptions for 26 yards.
AFC: Cleveland Browns 34, Buffalo Bills 30
In a shootout, Browns linebacker Clay Matthews intercepted Bills quarterback Jim KellyJim Kelly
James Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....
at the Cleveland 1-yard line with 3 seconds remaining to preserve a 34-30 victory. Kelly threw for 405 yards and 4 touchdowns while Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar
Bernie Kosar
Bernard Joseph "Bernie" Kosar, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Kosar played for the Cleveland Browns from 1985 to 1993 and then finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins.-Early life and high school career:A Hungarian-American...
threw for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. Browns receiver Webster Slaughter
Webster Slaughter
Webster Melvin Slaughter is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League from 1986 to 1998....
had the best postseason performance of his career with 3 receptions for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Buffalo scored first with wide receiver Andre Reed
Andre Reed
Andre Darnell Reed is a former professional American football player. He played wide receiver in the National Football League for 16 seasons, 15 with the Buffalo Bills and one with the Washington Redskins .Reed ranks tenth in NFL history in total career receptions with 951.-Football career:Reed...
's 72-yard touchdown reception. But Cleveland struck back with a 45-yard field goal by Matt Bahr
Matt Bahr
Matthew David Bahr is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League. He attended Neshaminy High School in Langhorne, Pennsylvania where he excelled in both football and soccer...
and a 52-yard touchdown pass from Kosar to Slaughter. Kelly's 33-yard touchdown pass to James Lofton
James Lofton
James David Lofton is a former American football player and coach. He is a former American football coach for the San Diego Chargers but is best known for his years in the National Football League as a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers , Los Angeles Raiders , the Buffalo Bills...
put the Bills back in the lead, 14-10, but Browns retook the lead with Ron Middleton's 3-yard catch shortly before the end of the first half.
On the opening drive of the second half, Kosar hooked up with Slaughter for another touchdown pass, this one 44-yards, to increase their lead to 24–14. Buffalo responded with a 6 yard touchdown catch by running back Thurman Thomas, who tied an NFL playoff record with 13 receptions for 150 yards. But Browns running back Eric Metcalf
Eric Metcalf
Eric Quinn Metcalf is a former American football running back and wide receiver in the National Football League who played for the Browns, Falcons, Chargers, Cardinals, Panthers, Redskins and Packers...
returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to give his team a 31–21 lead by the end of the third quarter. After an exchange of field goals, Thomas caught a three yard touchdown pass. But the extra point failed, forcing the Bills to attempt to score a touchdown instead of a field goal on their final drive. With time running out, Kelly led the Bills to Cleveland's 11-yard line. But fullback Ronnie Harmon
Ronnie Harmon
Ronnie Keith Harmon is a former professional American football player. After a standout career at the University of Iowa in the Big Ten Conference, he played for 12 seasons in the NFL. A 6", 220-lb...
dropped a potential game winning catch in the end zone and Kelly was intercepted by Matthews on the next play.
NFC: San Francisco 49ers 41, Minnesota Vikings 13
49ers quarterback Joe MontanaJoe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
threw for 241 yards and four touchdowns as San Francisco dominated the Vikings. Minnesota scored first on a 38-yard field goal by Rich Karlis
Rich Karlis
Richard John Karlis is a former American Football placekicker who played nine seasons for the Denver Broncos, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Detroit Lions in the National Football League from 1982 to 1990...
, but then Montana completed 4 unanswered scores: a 72-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice is a retired American football wide receiver. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in National Football League history...
, an 8-yarder to tight end Brent Jones
Brent Jones
Brent Michael Jones is a former American Football tight end who played almost his entire career with the San Francisco 49ers from 1987 to 1997. He was selected in the 5th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1986 NFL Draft...
, an 8-yarder to wide receiver John Taylor, and a 13-yarder to Rice. 49ers defensive back Ronnie Lott
Ronnie Lott
Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...
returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown, and running back Roger Craig rushed for a 4-yard score. Craig finished the game with 125 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Rice caught 6 passes for 114 yards and 2 scores. One of the few bright spots of the game for Minnesota was tight end Steve Jordan
Steve Jordan (American football)
Steven Russell Jordan is a former American football tight end who played his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings...
, who caught 9 passes for 149 yards
NFC: Los Angeles Rams 19, New York Giants 13 (OT)
The Rams upset the Giants with quarterback Jim Everett's 30-yard touchdown pass to Flipper AndersonFlipper Anderson
Willie Lee "Flipper" Anderson, Jr. is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Los Angeles Rams , the Indianapolis Colts , the Washington Redskins , and the Denver Broncos...
with 1:06 gone in overtime. New York jumped to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter with two field goals by kicker Raul Allegre. With 17 seconds left in the first half, Anderson caught a 20-yard touchdown reception from Everett to take a 7-6 lead. In the third quarter, Giants running back Ottis Anderson
Ottis Anderson
Ottis Jerome "O.J." Anderson is a former American football running back. He was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979, and the MVP of Super Bowl XXV in 1991 when playing with the New York Giants...
scored on a 2-yard touchdown. But in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles kicker Mike Lansford made two field goals to tie the game, the second one coming with 3:01 left in regulation.
Rams receiver Henry Ellard
Henry Ellard
Henry Austin Ellard is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Los Angeles Rams , Washington Redskins , and the New England Patriots . Ellard qualified for Olympic trials in 1992 with his 54.1 foot triple jump.-High school and college:Ellard attended Hoover High School in...
had the best postseason performance of his career with 8 receptions for 125 yards.
AFC: Denver Broncos 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 23
For the second game in a row, Steelers running back Merril HogeMerril Hoge
Merril DuAine Hoge is a former professional American football player. He played eight seasons at running back for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears, retiring after the 1994 season. Since 1997 he has been a football analyst for ESPN television....
had a superb performance, rushing for 120 yards on 16 carries and catching 8 passes for 60 yards. But this time it wasn't enough to lift his team to victory. Broncos receiver Mark Jackson caught 5 passes for 111 yards.
A 71-yard Broncos drive was capped by Melvin Bratton
Melvin Bratton
Melvin Bratton attended the University of Miami, where he played running back for the Miami Hurricanes and starred in the national championship game at the 1988 Orange Bowl against Oklahoma, where he blew out his knee...
's 1-yard touchdown run with 2:27 remaining to win the game. The Steelers jumped to a 10-0 early lead with a 32-yard field goal by Gary Anderson and a 7-yard touchdown by Hoge. Bratton's 1-yard touchdown cut the deficit to 10-7, but Pittsburgh responded with quarterback Bubby Brister
Bubby Brister
Walter Andrew "Bubby" Brister, III is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, Denver Broncos, and Minnesota Vikings...
's 9-yard touchdown to wide receiver Louis Lipps. Denver kicker David Treadwell then made a 43-yard field goal before halftime to cut the Steelers' lead, 17-10. In the third quarter, Broncos defensive back Tyrone Braxton recovered a fumble at the Pittsburgh 37-yard line, setting up quarterback John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
's 37-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vance Johnson
Vance Johnson
Vance Edward Johnson , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft. A 5'11", 174 lb...
. Anderson later kicked two field goals to give the Steelers a 23-17 lead before Bratton scored the winning touchdown.
AFC Championship: Denver Broncos 37, Cleveland Browns 21
Quarterback John Elway led the Broncos to a 37-21 victory with 385 passing yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, while also leading the Broncos in rushing with 39 yards on the ground. Denver jumped to a 10-0 halftime lead with kicker David Treadwell's 29-yard field goal and wide receiver Michael YoungMichael Young (American football)
Michael David Young is a former professional American football wide receiver in the NFL for ten seasons for the Los Angeles Rams, the Denver Broncos, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Kansas City Chiefs. He was serving as Executive Vice President of the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League...
's 70-yard touchdown reception. However, the two teams scored a combined 5 touchdowns in the third period. Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to receiver Brian Brennan, but Elway countered with a 5-yard touchdown to tight end Orson Mobley. Running back Sammy Winder's 7-yard rushing touchdown extended the Broncos lead to 24-7. However, Cleveland scored two touchdowns in a span of 2:11 to cut the lead to 24-21: a 10-yard touchdown reception by Brennan and 2-yard touchdown run by Tim Manoa. But then Denver scored 13 unanswered points in the final period to clinch the victory: Winder's 39-yard touchdown reception and two field goals by Treadwell.
NFC Championship: San Francisco 49ers 30, Los Angeles Rams 3
The 49ers crushed the Rams with 442 total yards and held the ball for 39:48. Los Angeles jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter with a 23-yard field goal by Mike Lansford, but that eventually was their lone score of the game. While the Rams had momentum early in the game, it shifted to San Francisco's favor for good when safety Ronnie LottRonnie Lott
Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...
batted down a pass intended for a wide open Flipper Anderson
Flipper Anderson
Willie Lee "Flipper" Anderson, Jr. is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Los Angeles Rams , the Indianapolis Colts , the Washington Redskins , and the Denver Broncos...
. Had Anderson made the catch, he would have scored easily, giving the Rams a 10–0 lead. The Lott knockdown inspired the 49ers while deflating the Rams. From this point on, San Francisco dominated and led 21–3 at half. San Francisco quarterback Joe Montana threw 2 touchdown passes in the second period: a 20-yarder to tight end Brent Jones and an 18-yarder to wide receiver John Taylor. Running back Roger Craig recorded a 1-yard rushing touchdown, while kicker Mike Cofer made 3 field goals in the second half. Montana showed much precision and finished the game with 26 of 30 completions for 262 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fullback Tom Rathman
Tom Rathman
Thomas Dean Rathman is a former American football fullback who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders . He is currently the running backs coach for the 49ers.-High school:...
rushed for 63 yards and caught 6 passes for 48.